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Wreckage of teen pilot's plane found; search continues

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — The family of a teen pilot killed in a plane crash off the coast of American Samoa is asking for help in the search for the teen's father who has been missing since the Tuesday night crash.

Wreckage of teen pilot's plane found; search continues

Babar Suleman and his son Haris Suleman, 17, of Plainfield, Ind., left Thursday, June 19, for an around-the-world flight they were hoping would take 30 days. The single-engine plane they were traveling in crashed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of American Samoa on July 23.(Photo: Robert Scheer, The Indianapolis Star)

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — The family of a teen pilot killed in a plane crash off the coast of American Samoa is asking for help in the search for the teen's father who has been missing since the Tuesday night crash.

Haris Suleman, 17, was piloting a single-engine aircraft around the world with his father, Babar Suleman, to try to set a world record as the youngest pilot in command and to raise money to build schools in Pakistan.

A Beechcraft A36 Bonanza crashed at about 10:15 p.m. Samoa Standard Time on Tuesday, while taking off from Pago Pago, American Samoa, with Haris and his father on board. Haris' body was recovered Wednesday.

The skies were clear Tuesday night as the Sulemans prepared for takeoff, though wind speeds were slightly high at 15 to 20 miles per hour, said American Samoa Department of Homeland Security Director Iuniasolua Savusa.

On Thursday, a rescue team found some of the plane's wreckage, Savusa said. Rescuers recovered the aircraft's fuselage, a door and other debris from the crash.

Rescue crews were working with local fishermen to bring in boats that could cast a net to the bottom of the ocean in hopes of retrieving the plane. They aimed to expand the search Thursday, but were impeded by high tides and stormy weather.

"The priority right now of the search and rescue is trying to find the remains or the body of Mr. Babar Suleman," Savusa said.

Gene Maestas, a Coast Guard spokesman in Honolulu, said the search is still considered an active search and rescue case.

In a news conference outside the family's home in Plainfield, Ind., family friend Azher Khan and Suleman's daughter, Hiba, said the family has not given up hope in the search for her father, but they want to see the search-and-rescue efforts stepped up.

"Time is of the essence," said Khan. "We want to find Babar."

Hiba Suleman, the daughter of the still-missing Babar Suleman, asks for assistance Thursday, July 24, 2014, in finding her father. Babar Suleman was the passenger in a single-engine plane piloted by his son Haris, 17, that crashed Tuesday, July 22, 2014, off the coast of American Samoa. Haris' body was found shortly after the crash. A portion of the plane's wreckage has been found.(Photo: Doug McSchooler, The Indianapolis Star)

The family asked for authorities from Hawaii, the mainland United States and the New Zealand Coast Guard to contribute whatever additional resources they can.

"American Samoa does have limited resources, but the New Zealand Coast Guard was the one who picked up the distress signal," said Hiba Suleman.

Suleman's oldest son, Cyrus, 28, is traveling to Pago Pago to meet with authorities and check on the search.

Khan said they recognize rescue crews are working hard, but they want to get as much immediate help to the crash scene as is possible.

"Time is running against us," Khan said.

Khan described Babar Suleman as a "fighter," and said they know he could still make it.

"He is out there, clinging for hope" and for someone to find him, Khan said.

Hiba Suleman and Khan both said they are staying positive as the search continues.

"Until we know that he isn't, we're going to keep believing he's alive," she said of her father.